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The Right Honourable
Harrison Redford
Robert Bridges
Chancellor Redford in late 1853
8th Chancellor of Cygnia
In office
3 January 1845 – 8 August 1854
MonarchVictoria
DeputyHunter Alston
Preceded byRobert Peel
Succeeded byHunter Alston
Member of the Cygnian House of Representatives
for Penn
In office
23 January 1837 – 8 August 1854
Personal details
Born 7 July 1808
Charlotte, Avon
Cygnia
Died 8 August 1854 (age 46)
Northam, TS
Cygnia
Citizenship Cygnian
Political party Federalist
Spouse(s) Anna Johanssen (1831–1833; her death)
Alma mater University of Avon
Occupation Teacher
Religion Church of Cygnia


Harrison Benjamin Redford (7 July 1808 – 8 August 1854) was a Cygnian teacher and statesman who served as the eighth Chancellor of Cygnia from 1845 until his death in 1854. At the time he was elected he was the youngest Chancellor in Cygnian history; he was shortly surpassed by his successor and Vice Chancellor Hunter Alston after his death. Redford was born in the city of Charlotte, Avon into a recently immigrated English family of relatively modest means. He later became a teacher, graduating from the University of Avon. He also joined the Federalist Party, and was elected to Congress as Member for the Division of Penn after the 1836 federal election. He continued to hold this seat until his death in 1854.

In 1844, Redford decided to run for the Chancellorship in the 1844 election. He won the Federalist leadership, running against fellow Member John Russell of Perth. Redford went on to win the election, becoming the third Federalist chancellor. He was inaugurated on 3 January 1845.

Redford's nine-year tenure spanned the early years of Victoria's reign. As a result, Redford became an important influence on the young Queen.

One of his most well-known achievements is his leading role in the Treaty of Waitangi. The Māori population of Aotearoa were becoming increasingly concerned that their rights would be ignored if Cygnia declared sovereignty over the islands. Redford wrote, introduced and pushed the Treaty through Congress. It guaranteed the land rights of the Māori, who were granted all the privileges of Cygnian citizenship. The Treaty is considered one of the core documents of Aotearoa's history.

On 8 August 1854, just more than a year and six months after being inaugurated for his third term, Redford was assassinated in his office in the Chancellery by Robert Callaway, a white supremacist who detested Redford's left-leaning policies, especially when it came to dealing with the indigenous peoples of the Empire. Redford was only 46 when he was killed, and news of his death came as a great shock to the Cygnian people. Possibly as a direct result of his death, Redford's approval ratings skyrocketed on 10 August 1854, two days after he died. Today, Redford is considered a national hero for his significant contribution to Cygnian society. In 1954, the 100th anniversary of Redford's death, the Cygnian Electoral Commission announced that Redford's former seat of Penn would be renamed in his honour, and in 1956, the Division of Redford was contested for the first time.

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